The silliness of linking the fate of the “whole” to an individual
on April 12th, 2006 at 4:40 amBetween some of the talking heads on cable news and folks online, folks are already bracing for what could be an unfortunate turnout for those who wanted their pound of flesh out of the hides of the Duke University lacrosse team. This group is basically made up of two camps: folks who have a perpetual axe to grind against white men (especially if they have the appearance of being rich–which represents power), and women who have a axe (big or small) to grind against ANY man for reasons that go beyond the issue at hand.
Over the last two days or so I have heard both of these groups link the fate of their respected group to the outcome of this case. On one hand, some black folks feel that if this alleged victim is lying, then justice will elude us for another 500 years or so because “Who would ever believe a black person after this?”. As for the other group, they feel that the plight of ALL WOMEN (especially black women) that have been raped will be ignored at another level by society and pushed into the dark ages. This explains all the vitriol coming from both of these camps.
For starters, if someone doesn’t like you, one well-publicized case is not going to change that fact one way or another. For my black brothers and sisters who feel that the fate of black America in some way, shape or form hinges on the outcome of this case, please consider addressing some of these questions:
- When was the last time you were denied employment because of what another black person did AND YOU HAVE THE PROOF that you were denied because the employer “tied” your race to this other individual?
- Name at least 3 different times you were asked to leave a store because the management associated you with a shoplifter who happened to be black?
- When was the last time you were treated suspiciously as a direct result of a local crime in your area commited by blacks?
- (Bonus question) How EXACTLY has the plight of black Americans been hampered by the publicity of the bad behavior of a few?
- HOW OFTEN DO YOU EXPERIENCE 1 THRU 4?
These are questions off the top of my head where I think that most of us can answer positively on at least two or three. If these are everyday occurances for you, please do yourself a favor and move…far away.
And for the sistahs, here are two questions for you:
- How EXACTLY did the Tawana Brawley incident make it harder for women (especially black women) to acknowledge that they have been raped?
- Just EXACTLY how many women do you know of that once they exposed the fact that they were raped, most or all legal options were denied to them if they decided to pursue their claim through the legal system?
If a woman has been raped, she should report that incident to legal authorities (not your pastor) as soon as possible. Mind you, because of the nature of some situations, it may not be as easy as one would think to report such a crime. However, for the cases that have been reported to legal authorities, can it be proven that because of a few false claims that the rights of women have been expunged from the books? I think not.
Until this case at Duke University has gone through the entire legal process, both camps need to chill and let justice (what these camps claim to want) be served. Whatever the outcome, the whole issue of rape will not and should not be wiped out of the consciousness of society at large.
The only problem with appointing a poster child is that oftentimes after the dust has settled, ALL sides will find themselves eventually asking the question “What ever happen to…?”. Just ask people like Rodney King or Tawana Brawley.
So will you have people in society that will judge the “whole” based on the actions of a few? You bet–on ALL fronts. Fortunately they are not in the majority in society.
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